Before they became bitter enemies, Optimus Prime and Megatron were once friends. The fractured relationship is teased in Paramount’s new trailer for Transformers One. On planet Cybertron, Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth), aka Optimus Prime, and D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry), aka Megatron, begin Transformers One as brothers-in-arms. After they gain the power to transform, a schism occurs in their friendship, with Orion wanting to build a better world and D-16 wishing to be “so much more.” The two friends are on a collision course, as Optimus will one day lead the Autobots while Megatron will guide the Decepticons. “We could have built the future together,” Orion says to D-16, who angrily responds, “I don’t think so.”
Besides Hemsworth and Henry, the actors voicing characters in the Transformers One cast include Scarlett Johansson as Elita, Keegan-Michael Key as B-127/Bumblebee, Steve Buscemi as Starscream, Laurence Fishburne as Alpha Trion, and Jon Hamm as Sentinel Prime. Josh Cooley directs Transformers One from a script by Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari. Cooley previously directed the Academy Award-winning Toy Story 4. Transformers One is the first theatrical animated film in the franchise since 1986’s The Transformers: The Movie. The new trailer was shown at San Diego Comic-Con 2024. During the panel featuring the cast and crew, Cooley called the split between Optimus and Megatron “heartbreaking,” and spoke about his preparation for the film. “Hasbro gave me the bible of Transformers,” Cooley said via Deadline. “This Tolkien-length history — so much to play with, a huge sandbox — wanted the feeling of what it was like to play with the toys as a kid, that feeling of nostalgia and joy trying to make these things work.” Transformers One arrives in theaters on September 20, 2024.
